Rottweiler puppies

About the Rottweiler

The Rottweiler traces back to the drover dogs of the Roman legions, settling in the German town the breed is named after, where they moved cattle to market and hauled the butcher's cart. This is a heavy, powerfully muscled dog of 36.3 to 61.2 kg and 56 to 69 cm, black with rust markings, under a short outer coat that lies flat with undercoat on the neck and thighs. The character is confident and unflustered, quiet at home, watchful without fuss and closely bonded to their family.

Exercise is moderate but should be daily: walking, trotting, swimming, or carting and herding work, which the breed picks up easily. Grooming is a weekly brush, heavier during two seasonal sheds. They are highly trainable and need that training started early, because a badly handled Rottweiler becomes a serious problem. They are rated three out of five with children and other pets, so supervision and thorough socialisation are the rule. The usual failure is buying the image and skipping the work. Life expectancy is short, 9 to 10 years.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Rottweiler puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A large breed puppy at eight weeks looks deceptively normal sized and will roughly double every few weeks for a while. Keep exercise short and low impact, the growth plates are wide open. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and they will need a job to do long before they need long walks. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Hip dysplasia, which breeding stock should be hip scored by x-ray before mating
• Elbow dysplasia, which breeding stock should be elbow graded by x-ray before mating
• Juvenile laryngeal paralysis and polyneuropathy (JLPP), detectable by DNA test on both parents
• Leukoencephalomyelopathy (LEMP-2), detectable by DNA test on both parents

Your Rottweiler puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Large for a Rottweiler.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 36.3 to 61.2 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 48 inch (48 x 30 x 32 in, 122 x 76 x 81 cm) for an adult of up to 61.2 kg, the largest size in the chart, which tops out at 49.9 kg, so measure the dog before you buy; chew toys made for large breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other large breeds

More on the Rottweiler

Previous: Romanian Mioritic Shepherd Dog · Next: Rough Collie

Sources

• akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
• fci.be for country of origin
• royalkennelclub.com for the Royal Kennel Club exercise or grooming band, used where it asks for more than the AKC score
• Health notes from Rottweiler breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/rottweiler/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: Dr. Manfred Herrmann, ADRK, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.